Jonathan Roy Wins 2012 WPT Montreal

With so many World Poker Tour (WPT) events played in the United States and Europe, it only seems right that a Canadian should win WPT Montreal. And that’s exactly what happened Tuesday night as Quebec’s Jonathan Roy leapfrogged the two chip leaders during the course of the final table to take his first major title and C$779,710.

In our write-up yesterday, we said it was a clear four-horse race at the final table. Sylvain Siebert and Jeff Gross were perched atop the leaderboard with 8.85 million and 8.65 million chips, respectively, while Roy was a manageable distance behind with 7.48 million and Pascal Lefrancois had 6.065 million. As it turned out, the two finalists and three of the last four remaining players came from that group.

It was going to take a couple big hands for the two players at the bottom of the chip counts, Peter Kaemmerlen (2.405 million chips) and Gavin Smith (1.605 million) to get back into the thick of things. They obviously both knew that. On the very first hand of the final table, Kaemmerlen four-bet all-in pre-flop with pocket Jacks and was called by Gross with A-T. The flop and turn were safe for Kaemmerlen, but Gross was able to spike an Ace on the river, allowing himself and the four remaining player to move up a notch in the payouts within minutes of the first deal of the day.

Just three hands later was another huge hand, with Lefrancois doubling through the chip leader Siebert, taking his stack up to 11.75 million chips, while Siebert fell to 3 million. That essentially spelled the end for Siebert, as Roy eliminated him a few orbits later.

Canadian pro Gavin Smith was the next to go, but considering he was the shortest stack to start the final table, moving up to 4th place is pretty solid. Smith moved all-in on hand 47 with A-5, called by Roy and his K-7. A 7 was dealt on the turn, pairing Roy’s hand and signaling the ouster of Smith. At that point, Lefrancois was way out in front with 19.05 million, more than Roy (9.225 million) and Gross (6.825 million) combined.

So…half the table gone in 47 hands. Looks like it’s going to be a quick final table. Yeah, um, no.

It took over one hundred more hands to reach heads-up play. Over the course of those hands, Roy gradually picked up chips, many of them from Lefrancois, who, in turn, crippled Gross. Once Jonathan Roy eliminated Jeff Gross on hand 153, he went into the heads-up match with Lefrancois holding a 19.175 million to 15.925 million chip lead.

Heads-up went in waves. Roy took most of the first several pots, then it was Lefrancois, then Roy. Then Lefrancois on a big run of hands and the two players were just about even in chips. It looked like it might be time to settle in for another hundred hands when it all ended, just like that. The two got into a raising war on hand 181 before getting their chips into the middle. Lefrancois had a 525,000 chip edge on Roy, so Roy’s tournament life was on the line. When the cards were turned over, Roy showed K-Q while Lefrancois revealed pocket Sixes. The race was on. Right off the bad, Roy nailed a King on the flop, all but putting the hand out of reach right then and there. A Queen on the turn for good measure and Roy doubled-up. Lefrancois didn’t even have enough chips left to post a big blind and one ante.

After that, it was academic, as Roy eliminated Lefrancois on the very next hand. Congratulations to Jonathan Roy, winner of WPT Montreal!